It's always the quiet ones
by chelmsford37
Summary: What happens when Mai is left alone with the Avatar? Can she take his relentless optimism?


"Sooo...what are you thinking?"

"Ugh."

How did I get myself in this situation? All alone with the Avatar? With no buffer? This must be some kind of punishment for my... sins? I admit, I haven't been perfect, but I don't deserve this. Ugh, he's still looking at me, expecting some answer.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"..."

"What did you say? ...I thought I heard you say somethi-"

"Nothing. I said nothing."

"...But I distinctly remember you saying somethi-"

"No, you imbecile, I said the word 'nothing'."

"...Whaaat..."

"Ugh," I am almost at tears now. "Let's talk about something else."

"Ok, what?"

"..."

The awkward silence is blissful compared to the hell of making conversation with this overly positive air bender hippie. I'm almost gullible enough to think that he has given up. Guess that makes me the positive one.

"Oh, so what's going on with you and Zuko-"

"No." There's an edge to my voice that I hope he picks up on.

"No? But I thought you guys were-"

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" My hand is creeping up my sleeve. Surely that must be enough of a warning. The next warning I give will be right into a squishy part of his anatomy.

He blinks. There, good. He can be reached. Maybe he can read my unamused facial expression and know that I am not in the mood to talk.

"Oh, I see. ...I didn't mean to make you upset."

I quickly set him straight. "You didn't make me upset," I lie. In order to be upset, it would mean that I would have to care in the first place.

He tries again. "I mean, I can kinda understand how you feel." I quickly bristle at that. "I mean, me and Katara..." He trails off. Part of me rejoices that we seem to have arrived at a topic that even he doesn't want to talk about. The other part of me is depressed because it's a subject that I am actually curious about. Oh man, I know I am gonna regret this.

"What happened?" Two words, just two. But I can feel the chasm opening under my feet as I ask it. The feeling of vertigo is similar to the feeling of opening a jar filled with stink worms. Utter dread.

"We just began to realize that we both needed someone different for the next stage of our journey. I guess I see her point." His face looked pensive, and a little sad. What a rookie mistake. Letting info like that go. Through an idle phrase and a facial expression I could tell that he had been the one moved on from.

Apart from picking up on it, I didn't know what to do with this. He wasn't an enemy that I felt comfortable manipulating. Maybe I could blackmail him into leaving me alone. Or...if we were going to have to talk, maybe I could use this to control the conversation.

But then he perked up and turned back to me. Crap. "Are you asking because you care about how I'm feeling?"

"Aang, you know I don't do the smiling thing, but that almost made me laugh." I turn my profile to him in order to both hide and reveal that smirk that raised my lip a few millimeters.

He does laugh. Good, someone that gets my humor and isn't always gonna get offended. Wait, why is that good? Well... I guess he isn't the worst company, for an overly positive ADD sufferer.

"Oh. I know! Your asking was just a subtle way to talk to me about you and Zuko, right?"

"No," I flatly deny on reflex, and all the good feeling starts to subside. Why would he bring that up again? What a dick- And then I see the smirk on his face.

"Come on, you can tell me about your feelings." His voice is mocking and his smug smirk and raised eyebrows provide the punchline. Is he baiting me? Evil... I didn't know the twerp had it in him.

He laughs a laugh which, rather than upset me, seems to release the tension as he raises his palms in apology. My gut feels weird. These overly positive types, they always seem to take me by surprise. They seem so stupid and in denial, but then they'll drop a hint that lets you know that they are in on the joke. And it makes you wonder what else they know. How much of the positivity is all an act.

That's what kept me interested in Ty Lee. Those moments where, usually at Azula's behest, but also from her own will at times, she revealed that she was less a pink ball of fluff, and more a house cat, complete with claws and a taste for occasional casual acts of cruelty.

I wonder about the Avatar, Aang. Would he ever threaten a man's life? What is he like angry? Does he even get angry? I look at him again, and all my wonderings cease. There is no way.

He catches my eye and winks. Great, now my face is turning red. I turn away as if nothing has happened, as if I'm just tired of his face. Nothing wrong with me, it's all him. Thanks, mother, for that training.

Knowing my luck, though, he doesn't let it go. "Mai...are you mad?" Mad? Why would I be mad? Just because I don't want to look at you right now? Get over yourself. I don't say anything, because I don't trust myself to not get embarrassed and stick a few pointy things into him.

He gets up however, and approaches me. 'What is he doing?' is the only thought that gets through my brain before reflex takes over and I spin away to keep him from looking at my face. The blush has gone down, but now I don't want him to see my face for other reasons.

He perseveres, however, and part of me is very aware of how ridiculous we look, me spinning like a top and him trying to catch up.

"Mai, wait," and he reaches for my hand. My gaze is locked at the sight. Both of his hands cradle my right, and an idle thought floats by to sever them from the offender. But I don't, because I don't really want to.

He's on his knees looking up at me, and as I meet his gaze, a small smile forms on his face. It is very infectious, like a grave disease, and I begin to feel the corners of my mouth rise. I try to fight it, but all that results is a tiny smile that is nevertheless very visible, and a slight trembling of my shoulders. His smile and his eyes widen, and his shoulders start to shake too. Great, I must look so funny. I can't hold it much longer, so instead I sigh, and that helps. I peek a glance at him again, and he is still smiling. Then he smirks. Oh no. I find myself anticipating his attempts to be devious.

"I didn't know you could smile."

I fix him with my trademark snark face. "Ha. Ha." You're gonna have to do better than that.

"Makes me wonder what else you're hiding." This gets a slight raise of my eyebrows. Oh yeah?

"Maybe I can get you to show me," He smirks, and his eyes travel up and down my body. I gasp, I can't even help it. I didn't know that I had any sensibilities left, but they have just been thoroughly shocked. The do-gooder Avatar just ogled me! And his innuendo!

A part of my mind snarks that it isn't even the dirtiest thing I've ever heard. Why, Azula, Ty Lee and myself used to say worse when we were by ourselves. But the rest of my mind is too busy being blown. My shoulders are outright bobbing now as I try to keep it in. Rather than turn away, I look down to hide my face, then resort to hiding behind my hands when that's not enough.

I sneak a peak at what he's doing, and he is just watching me with a big smile on his face. That does it. I crack up laughing. My sides hurt. A part of my mind observes that this is an unorthodox way to kill someone. That makes me laugh harder. The vision of my friends, finding out that the Mai they knew died of laughter. I laugh harder. It's too much. I might really die.

Unfortunately, I don't die, because that would be too perfect. I come down slowly, my laughter turning into chuckles, and then to smiles that pull at my face in ways that ache after all the exercise it has gotten in such a short period of time. "Ohhhh..." I moan, holding the sides of my face.

My eyes turn to him idly, and he is still smiling. In that instant, he speaks again.

"I knew I'd be the one to make you do that." His smile turns into a smirk again.

Cheeky bastard. I stare at him and my eyes widen in desperation as I feel the air in my body threatening to leave it again in convulsing uncontrollable laughter. This crazy kid doesn't care if I live or die! He's merciless!

I've gotta do something to turn the tide, give myself some room to breathe. Stab him? Nah, that doesn't seem sporting considering the nature of our competition.

Maybe it was the lack of oxygen or my unfamiliarity with all of the happy chemicals rushing through my brain, but I acted rashly, as I normally wouldn't.

"Hey Aang," I begin, looking off into space.

He smiles, probably expecting something else "What?"

I grab his shirt and pull him in and smash my lips to his. I might have hurt my lip, but I let it go. After all, I still don't have a lot of experience kissing guys, apart from Zuko, and I also needed the element of surprise.

The adrenaline is rushing through my veins, giving me the courage to go through with this. But as it wears off a bit, I allow myself to enjoy it.

Satisfied, I pull back with my best smug smirk on my face, the only smile I generally allow myself. Aang is sputtering, red as a tomato, and looking anywhere but at me. Revenge is sweet.

I allow him to gradually compose himself, taking pleasure in how much I have managed to unnerve him. When he is just about back to normal, though a bit more quiet than usual, I stand up. His eyes are drawn to me, and he looks like he doesn't know whether to jump or run. I lean over him and he freezes as I whisper in his ear. "That was payback."

I get a good look at the delicious look of incredulity on his face, because when I turn away and leave the room, I'm not looking back. As I walk to my room, a part of my mind idly wonders when I will see him again. Soon, I'm sure. How do I know? Well, I couldn't say.

* * *

Aang knelt in the same position as he watched her leave. His eyes reflexively trailed to the curves that appeared in her robes as she walked. He licked his lips. "I guess Sokka was right. It is the quiet ones you have to look out for."


End file.
